Monthly Archives: October 2013

On the 29th August, 5 zoos from the UK took part in a quiz night event to raise money and awareness for Selamatkan Yaki. The event was set up by Jodie Dryden, a keeper at Drusillas Park, who has recently been out to Sulawesi to work with the SY Team.

Keepers at Paignton zoo, Newquay zoo, London ZSL and Dudley Zoological Gardens joined Jodie and her fellow keepers at Drusillas Park in hosting a quiz night, which occurred on the same evening at each establishment. Once the quiz was completed the scores were added and a winning team would be confirmed, crowning them the Quiz champions.

The quiz contained 10 rounds including sports, general knowledge, geography, logos, celebrities, history, films/TV, animals, food & drink and music questions. Each person paid £1 minimum donation to enter the quiz, which was going towards the project car for the SY team out in Sulawesi. Each establishment was in charge of their own evening event and fundraising activities, which included raffles, guessing games and cake sales in an attempt to gather more donations.

A cake by Julie Wilkinson, one of the keepers at Drusillas Park, which was donated for the raffle. | Kue buatan Julie Wilkinson, salah satu penjaga Kebun Binatang Drusillas, yang disumbang untuk undian.

One of the items donated for the raffle came from Julie Wilkinson, one of the keepers at Drusillas Park. She baked a fantastic Selamatkan Yaki cake for the raffle, complete with the yaki and its signature heart-shaped bottom.

Awareness raised for the yaki also spread beyond the presentations and conversations during quiz night. The event was covered by a news website, ITV.com, which can be found here. It was also reported in a local newspaper. This media coverage has spread the word to an even wider audience than first expected, and raised even more awareness for the yaki and Selamatkan Yaki programme.

Overall, the evening went perfectly, with lots of money and awareness raised for both Selamatkan Yaki and this unique macaque species. Selamatkan Yaki would like to give a big THANK YOU to Jodie for her wonderful efforts in supporting our cause. A special thanks to all participating zoos, their directors and employees for hosting and participating in this unique event! Jodie would furthermore like to thank Nicola, Lewis, Nicole and Kathryn for helping the evening be a success and for doing a fantastic job by organising the collections events at their respective zoos.

We invite you to celebrate with us our new partnership for macaques! SY and MPC have joined their forces and united the Barbaries and Yaki! Mari rayakan partnership baru untuk makaka bersama kami! SY dan MPC telah menggabungkan kekuatan dan menyatukan Barbary dengan Yaki!

13580 kilometres apart, in completely different habitats, affected by different climate zones, and on different continents, live the Critically Endangered Sulawesi crested black macaque (Macaca nigra) and the Endangered Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus) – two species of the genus “Macaca“.

These macaque species, though distant cousins, live in very different climates and having a different diet. Yet they face similar threats: the humans are encroaching their habitat, destroying their homes, and hunt these endangered macaques.

What do these two species have in common apart from similar threats and behavioural and genetic similarities? Both species benefit from a team of hard working individuals with a large group of (local and international) supporters who are fighting for their survival, under the auspices of two conservation organisations: Selamatkan Yaki (SY) and the Moroccan Primate Conservation foundation (MPC). Both organisations have very similar conservation goals. We would like to share with you our happiness about announcing a partnership between Selamatkan Yaki and MPC and tell you a bit more about how this all began..

It all began at the first ever Macaca nigra workshop, held in Manado (Indonesia) in April 2013. Semuanya berawal di lokakarya Macaca nigra yang pertama kali diadakan di Manado (Indonesia) pada bulan April 2013.

The idea for a partnership came to life after Els van Lavieren (MPC’s Director) assisted during the workshop to create a strategic conservation plan (i.e. Species Action Plan) for the M. nigra, in Manado, Indonesia last April 2013. MPC had recently been through the process of creating such an important plan for the M. sylvanus, and this way both organisations could make use of each other’s experience. During the meeting in Manado it became clear that both Selamatkan Yaki and MPC not only work with charismatic macaque species facing similar threats, but that both organisations also clearly have the same work ethics, goals and ambitions.

The M. sylvanus is the only primate found North of the Sahara desert, the only primate that can be found in Europe (Gibraltar) and the only species of the genus “Macaca” that can be found outside of Asia. The Barbary macaque is an extremely adaptable animal that can live in very cold and very warm weather conditions (between minus 15 degrees Celsius in the winter and plus 38 degrees Celsius in summer).

The Barbary macaque is the only macaque species that can be found outside of Asia! Makaka Barbary adalah satu-satunya spesies makaka yang hidup di luar Asia!

Barbaries and Yaki are very intelligent and social monkeys. They live in big groups and spend most of their time with foraging, social behaviour such as grooming and resting.

The Barbary macaque used to be widespread throughout North Africa. Now the wild populations are restricted to small patches of forest/ scrub areas in both Morocco (the Rif mountains, Middle Atlas – and High Atlas mountains), in Algeria (Tellian Atlas) and Gibraltar (introduced semi-wild population). The largest population of the Barbary macaque can be found in the unique and beautiful mixed cedar/ oak forests of Parc National d’Ifrane in the Middle Atlas, but this population, like the other populations, is declining rapidly. Since 2008 the Barbary macaque is officially classified as “Endangered” on the IUCN Red List. The last existing populations are threatened by habitat destruction (due to overexploitation of natural resources and overgrazing by livestock) and in Morocco by the unsustainable illegal trade in infant macaques from Morocco to Europe.

Both macaque species are under large (human) pressure, and SY and MPC believe that sharing our knowledge and learning from each other’s experience will enhance the chance of survival for both unique endangered macaque species. Together we stand stronger in our shared mission to save these unique endangered macaque species! For more information about MPC and M. sylvanus please check out their website: www.mpcfoundation.com

Would you like to stay up-to-date with the Yaki in Sulawesi and Barbaries in Morocco? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! Mau tetap up-to-date dengan Yaki di Sulawesi dan Barbary in Moroko? Ikuti kami di Facebook dan Twitter!

It has been a while since I have made a blog post and I would like to seize the opportunity to present you the awesome parade our friends from PPS Tasikoki (Wildlife Education and Rescue Centre) and Private Course Class (PCC, a local junior high school English course) have organised for World Animal Day last Friday 4th of October.

This event was a big success, more than 150 participants from three different schools, the police scout association and local NGOs, have been proudly parading in the street of Bitung city. This town, the second biggest in North Sulawesi, is of crucial importance for us because of its geographic situation. It stands right on the edge of one of the most important protected area of North Sulawesi: the Tangkoko Batuangus Duasudara Nature Reserve, one of the last stronghold of the Sulawesi crested black macaque.

I arrived as early as possible to help our friends organising the event and was straight away impressed by the amount of persons already present and the dedication of all those children creating banners and mask to help us spread the word. One of the main threats currently faced by North Sulawesi wildlife, including the Yaki, is bush meat consumption. Because of past education and awareness raising campaigns, we have now the support of some young communities to help us fight this rampant plague.

Here we were, almost ready and exited to start the first World Animal Day North Sulawesi Parade. With the help of local police officers, we managed to make some order in the rank and start walking down toward the city town hall. During our peaceful march, you could hear songs and contemplate banners imploring the people to stop eating wild animals and destroying their home. After arriving at the city town hall, The PCC students from SMP1 Bitung gave an awesome flash mob show and all the participants signed a banner stating that they, the next generation, commit to not consume any bush meat.

I would like as well to inform our followers that my time as Field Project Coordinator for Selamatkan Yaki arrives now to an end. I can’t believe that already one year has passed since my debut in the project: Incroyable!

I would like to wish all the best to Edies who is just starting with us as our new Tangkoko Project Officer and finally I would like to thank all the conservationists working in Sulawesi and around the world as well as the Zoo d’Amnéville and Philippe Mantz to have enable me to come in Sulawesi.

Today is the final day of the Exhibition SULUT (North Sulawesi) in Kaiwatu, Manado. This year the theme of this exhibition was “Let us keep the political stability and the economic growth to improve people’s welfare” and in celebration of the 49th anniversary of the North Sulawesi Province. We were invited by Bappeda, an agency in charge of the planning and development of the North Sulawesi province, to join them in their stand at this exhibition. Through the display of our banners and the BBC film “Yaki – Sang Penjaga Hutan” (Yaki, the Protectors of the forests) we promoted our programme and our collaboration with all stakeholders and our partners.

We even had the amazing privilege to meet the governor of North Sulawesi! The Governor Dr. SH Sarundajang, together with the Vice Governor Dr. Djouhari Kansil and Secretary of North Sulawesi, Ir. SR Mokodongan, visited the Bappeda stand in the evening. What a great opportunity for us to introduce the Critically Endangered Macaca nigra (yaki) and our work! Are you curious how it went? Watch the video’s below and tell us what you think!

We would like to give thanks to all our colleagues at Bappeda for supporting the Selamatkan Yaki team and our programme! Special thanks to the head of Bappeda Ir. Roy O Roring, Shelley Sondakh, Henriette Jacoba Roeroe, and Ria Dunggio for making this exceptional meeting possible.